Wow talk about a film that can make you cry.
The first half of Marley & Me feels like a typical dog movie (ie Beethoven), but then the second part takes a depressing twist and feel like Titanic. Ok you caught me, I don’t know many chick flicks. Replace Titanic with some movie that made you cry for over an hour.
Anyway, this combination is slightly odd. I guess you can call it life, but still it sucks. It’s a tough film to watch. There are reasons to hate Marley, and then there are reasons to love him. Marley is one crazy pooch.
Unlike many dog films, Marley & Me actually features non-dog characters that are multi-layered. They are deep, complicated yet real and meaningful people. The film focuses on Marley’s interaction with these human characters as their life continues to move beyond their grasp.
The film does an excellent job on showing years passing. At first it feels like a ‘what just happened moment’? But then you simply get it. There’s one montage in the film that has a speed run through several years of their life. It’s fantastic. I almost want to see what the film would be like if they did a quick run through of the entire story in this style. Because the straight to the point story cuts out character life-time, each sequence is full of important events that shows their development..
On the DVD front, there are ton of extras. It was pretty surprising to see how much they crammed onto the disc. Sure it’s not 50 hours worth of content, but it’s plenty for the type of movie that Marley & Me is. A lot of the material is geared towards kids. There’s a gag reel, deleted scenes, and plenty of puppy moments.
If you’re a dog lover, Marley & Me will bring you to tears. It’s a fantastic movie that should be seen and enjoyed by all.
